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The revamped Sydney Theatre Company is now equipped with 32 new Meyer Sound loudspeakers, most of them from the ULTRA-X series, in addition to utilizing the new Spacemap Go spatial sound design and live mixing tool. (Photo Credit: Brett Boardman)

Meyer Sound ULTRA-X Loudspeakers & Spacemap Go Debut At Sydney Theatre Company

Recent production of "Playing Beatie Bow" became one of the world’s first theatrical productions to use the company's new tool for spatial sound design and live mixing.

The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) has reopened its home venue, The Wharf, at Walsh Bay in Sydney, Australia following a two-year closure for a total renovation that includes a technical upgrade led by the installation 32 new Meyer Sound loudspeakers, largely drawn from the company’s new ULTRA-X series.

The system was designed by Meyer Sound’s Bob McCarthy and Josh Dorn-Fehrmann to implement Spacemap Go, the company’s new tool for spatial sound design and live mixing. When it opened in late February, STC’s production of Playing Beatie Bow became one of the world’s first theatrical productions to use dynamic spatial effects provided by the new technology based on the GALAXY Network Platform utilizing Milan and a new iPad user interface.

The system renewal is an extension of a decades-long relationship with Meyer Sound. “We did explore options from other manufacturers,” says Ben Lightowlers, the theatre’s sound and video manager, “but over the years we’ve been happy with the UPJ and UPM loudspeakers, which we could easily integrate into the new systems. More importantly, we were very impressed with the new ULTRA-X loudspeakers. They are excellent for vocal clarity, which is paramount as the dialogue must be out front. But they are also exceptional for music.”

The scalability of Spacemap Go enable the system to be reconfigured to accommodate the 420-seat Wharf 1 Theatre’s different seating configurations, including end-on, L-shape and in-the-round as well as sound effect source locations specific to a particular production. Systems were supplied by Soundcorp, a Diversified Company.

“When Spacemap Go came along during this renewal project, it was exciting to have that added dimension,” Lightowlers adds. “I’m responsible for assuring our sound designers have access to a system that will afford them full creative potential. You don’t want them to think too much about the system itself, so they can focus on their art and what they want to communicate with sound. The fact that you can control Spacemap Go from QLab via OSC made the Meyer Sound solution an easy sell.”

David Bergman, the sound designer for Playing Beatie Bow, was the first to employ the new technology, allocating up to 20 outputs from QLab as direct objects for Spacemap Go. “The composer, Clemence Williams, and I have been loving the way we can run various trajectories throughout the show,” he says. “Some trajectories are doing slow circles around the audience while some randomly zig-zag. It’s been great to move around sounds like wind, reverbs, and solo instruments that otherwise would be static. I love how democratic it makes the show. No one misses out and every show will feel slightly different, even from the same seat!”

Spacemap Go was introduced only after Bergman’s sound design already was well underway, but going forward he expects to rethink dynamic sound possibilities from the outset: “We’ve just started exploring the capabilities. The next time I would love to build more specific spacemaps and trajectories, with more intricate recalls from QLab.”

Lightowlers concludes, “It’s exciting to have a new system that is one coherent palette and have it backed by outstanding support. Some companies will sell you the boxes and then you are on your own, but that is absolutely not the case with Meyer Sound. The ongoing support, especially regarding additional configuration setups, has been outstanding.”

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